The tradition of the humanities constitutes an indispensable basis for understanding the contemporary world. It seems, however, that techno-scientific and economic development have pushed the humanities to the margins of social life and that this sort of development has undermined the humanities’ central role in education, culture, and research. The more today’s developed world has to deal with ever more complex economic and political crises, the more we become aware that the assumption and creation of a common world informed by humanistic values is necessary – while at the same time acknowledging all the differences that pertain to each and every individual. Only when we speak about different identities, modes of thinking, histories, languages, religions, and economic and political environments do we become fully aware of the breadth and depth of humanistic knowledge that opens up our thinking towards the future. Ignorance of the meaning of this knowledge, as well as its social marginalization, creates a confined world, incapable of the sought-after harmony of sustainable development. The substantive scope of the conference was open to all fields of creativity with a view to the socio-critical and developmental orientation, along with the revealing of views and positions on the role and importance of the humanities in the world’s modern societies.
C.01 Editorial board of a foreign/international collection of papers/book
COBISS.SI-ID: 66686562Today, more than 100 years after the end of the First World War, Europe stands at the crossroads that burden it immensely, and at the same time somewhat hinder planning and deciding for its future. This is not the case only in regard to the state of affairs within the EU, but also to the circumstances defining its global position. Therefore, the conference intended to question our relation to the past and critically reassessed it in the perspective of a common future. Precisely the questioning, which takes the past into account and nevertheless remains oriented towards the future, draws within the countries and institutions of the EU attention to concrete political, economic, scientific, social, and cultural connotations and challenges. On the one hand, it can be presupposed—even hoped for—that Europe needs a fundamental humanistic reconsideration. On the other hand, we are confronted with opposing opinions claiming such a reconsideration to be obsolete and without real effect in the constellation of contemporary world. Yet, the denial of the European idea emerging solely from the acceptance of the state of affairs ultimately leads to a situation, wherein we have found ourselves now: namely, in face of concrete European political situation we do not possess. Re-examining the question what comprises the sense of contemporary Europe, we must take into consideration the fundamental values, which have through history been established as the Europeanness of the continent. These are: European cultural and linguistic differences, the abundance of artistic and intellectual tradition, individual freedom, social justice, religious tolerance, as well as political efforts for the effectuation of democratic processes in the countries, which have in the last century suffered under totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, and which today still wish to continue with the process of overcoming the traumatic past under variously changed social-political circumstances. Perspectives regarding future existence and development of otherness within Europe cannot be surrendered to the melting-pot of uniformities of identity. Thus, we are confronted with an exceptional interpretive complexity, because historical experience among European nations is very diverse, although certain common characteristics can be elaborated. We are, therefore, obligated to strive for an overcoming of mainly extremely painful past through the disclosure of novel perspectives. The actual situation of Europe characterized by the flow of fugitives and migrants, the security issued associated with such a situation, the persisting economic crisis, which still plagues many European countries, and, furthermore, the manifold degrees of development among the countries within Europe, as well as the conflicts on its margins and borders calls for an honest and thorough social discussion amongst intellectuals. Against such a background, the well-founded question arises whether an outlook for development based predominantly on the techno-scientific accomplishments would also take into account the care for human dignity and interpersonal solidarity as key elements of the European lifeworld within the worldwide challenges of the new globalization.
C.01 Editorial board of a foreign/international collection of papers/book
COBISS.SI-ID: 33180675The situation of European countries east of west is, since the fall of communist systems, still determined by transition, the goals of which once seemed to be safeguarded—to achieve the conditions for a development that would, on the one hand, enable justice, human dignity, and economic prosperity, as well as, on the other hand, entail a membership in the community of European countries, regions, and cultures. The process of transition has so far lasted a whole generation and thus gives rise to the question, what has caused the hindrance of development envisioned in the 1990s, how can we explain the delays, and which means would be necessary to accelerate the process and to bring about the flourishing of the undeniable potentials. The development of these potentials promises a positive change in three directions: 1) for the wellbeing of the single individual; 2) for the material and spiritual harmonizing of the peoples living in each of the countries and regions; and 3) for the improvement of mutual trust, of reciprocal respect, and of constructive collaboration within, above all, the European community of nations and cultures. For the understanding of the rift between the goals set in the past and their contemporary reassessment a discussion is required regarding the causes for the deficient development of potentials. Thus, it is possible to outline two overlapping thematic realms that demand attention and must be analyzed: one concerns the autochthonous relationships between European countries east of west, and the other concerns their complex effects outside their sphere of influence, which encompass not only continental, but also global factors. The first thematic realm includes the following aspects. The fundamental democratic principles, such as the freedom of creation that fully allows an individual to develop potentials, or justice at least in theory warranted by the rule of law, are still confronted with the limitations appointed by new political oligarchies stemming from precedent traditions. Democratic dialogue and tolerance far too often conflict with dominant powers that impede or even obstruct alternative developments. The superficially effectuated change of the political system, the tenaciousness of ideological positions, the perpetuated corruption, and the reservations towards different kinds of “the others” are all factors contributing to the prevention of a future shaped in the humanistic sense. The second thematic realm includes the following aspects. A decisive role can be ascribed to the incongruence between the high speed of scientific and technological advancements and the inadequacy of politics to manage such a development sensitively and sensibly on the international as well as on the intercontinental level. The resulting and already incessant irritations lead either to encapsulating measures on the lower levels of politics (“hanging on”) or to thoughtless attempts at adaptation to the contemporary global development (“parasitism”). Both cases bear witness to a lack of understanding and ambition for the humanistic heritage, once developed precisely with the sole intention to institute humanity, responsibility, and reason as the main principles in the formation of existence. The European Union, with its high theoretical standards and with its high quality of life, still symbolizes for the people of the countries east of west the promised land. This political initiative that arose from the intention not to repeat past mistakes (negotiations instead of combats) is, however, continually exposed to the exertion of influence and various extortions that are detrimental to the functionality of the original idea and have a destabilizing effect. Of great importance are, therefore, not only critical analyses of the contemporary situation, but also conceptualizations and realizations of humanistic principles, if we are to ensure that life will remain worthy of living and that justice will prevail amongst people an
B.02 Presiding over the programming board of a conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 301292800At the conference, the researchers, who regularly collaborate with the Institute Nova Revija, discussed the interdisciplinary perspectives of epistemological, historiographical, art-historical, literary-theoretical, culturological, jurisprudential, and political aspects of the formation of humanist knowledge. Although the latter is always defined retrospectively, it can only be decided upon within the spectrum of actuality, which we perceive in a limited manner, with regard not only to its entirety, but also to its details. We, thus, fulfill it with different opinions, beliefs, views, ideologies, and visionariness, without examining their coherence with time and space. Contemporaneity requires an understanding of its own context that defines its decisions. The presented papers dedicated special attention to the perspectives regarding the relevance of an interdisciplinary approach in humanist research and social sciences. In this context, the problems arise with regard to the connections between different methods and the elaboration of a common methodology, which interdisciplinary research in the field of the humanities should entail. The concept of contemporality enables the transition from a methodological to the topical aspect, while the hermeneutic differentiation between the interpretive/textual and the understanding/contextual aspects of humanist research offers a fundamental departure point for the discussion. The final part develops the question of a possible “applicability” of humanist knowledge with regard to its contemporally effectuation, which as such does not concern the adaptation of humanist research to general criteria of scientific effectiveness, but the change of the very viewpoint of “science” and its horizon of “effectivity.”
B.01 Organiser of a scientific meeting
COBISS.SI-ID: 297737216Goli otok po sedemdesetih letih / Goli otok After Seventy Years. Conference. November 29, 2019, Ljubljana. Organizer: Manca Erzetič. Institute Nova Revija and The New University (Ljubljana) [COBISS.SI-ID 513827458] Published: Goli otok po sedemdesetih letih. Ed. by Manca ERZETIČ. Ljubljana: Institute Nova Revija, 2021. 190 p. ISBN 978-961-7014-25-9. [COBISS.SI-ID 50028035] Contributions: Manca Erzetič, Bernard Nežmah, Dean Kome, Mira Miladinović Zalaznik. Goli Otok [Barren Island] did not only function as a Yugoslav concentration camp, which was established in 1949, during the conflict with the Cominform bureau, and operated until 1988, but also as an effective intimidation method used by the party leadership for its own maintenance. Today, Goli Otok is merely a tourist spot, without a memorial to remind us of the suffering of thousands of people who served their sentences there as anti-state elements on the basis of ideologically motivated accusations. The reasons why Goli Otok was and remains a »non-event« can be traced back to the very (infra)structure of the establishment of communist power in Yugoslavia after the Second World War, and at the same time dictate a fundamental explanation of the presuppositions of (non)freedom and (non)thinking, that define the way, in which the past is anchored in the present by opening or closing the future. The collective volume was published within the framework of a broad international discussion regarding the consequences of totalitarianism with special attention dedicated to the concentration camp Goli Otok. Namely, between 2016 and 2019, several student workshops were organized on the topic (the collective volume of the first was also already published). In 2020, an international workshop on totalitarianisms in the 20th century was organized in cooperation with The New University (Ljubljana).
C.02 Editorial board of a national monograph
COBISS.SI-ID: 50028035